Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-23919 (PTL1) discloses an engine start control system disclosing a technique of restarting an engine when a push switch is pushed even if a brake pedal is not depressed, if the engine is stopped due to some cause while a vehicle is traveling.
In addition, in recent years, as one of the countermeasures against environmental problems, hybrid vehicles each equipped with an electric motor (motor generator) and an engine have received attention. A publicly known example of such a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle with elements: drive wheels, an engine, and an electric motor which are mechanically coupled together.